


caeles

by ymnfilter



Series: ⥽☾ if you ever wander off, wander back to me ☽⥼ [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ymnfilter/pseuds/ymnfilter
Summary: caeles [latin]:noun.dweller in heaven.It's not the Doctor showing Rose Tyler the universe anymore. It's something better. It's them seeing the universe together.
Relationships: Metacrisis Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Series: ⥽☾ if you ever wander off, wander back to me ☽⥼ [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180352
Comments: 12
Kudos: 75





	1. Companion: The Doctor

**Author's Note:**

> gonna be honest, i only have a very vague idea of things that i want to happen in this universe. but, all those things are also making me really excited to write this.
> 
> the main premise that gave birth to this story was the idea that in that pete's world, Rose is more the Doctor than the Doctor and the Doctor is more a companion who is along for the ride. i've never read any of the official material that came out for pete's world, nor am i planning to. i like to imagine whatever i want to for rose/tentoo without letting the canon ruin it for me ;)
> 
> anyway, i hope you like this.
> 
> HAPPY READING!
> 
> p.s. if you want to talk to me or read some of my other works, you can always follow me on:
> 
> tumblr: [@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)

On his darkest days, days immediately following Canary Wharf, when he was desperately trying to find a way to get Rose back in his arms, the Doctor remembered praying. He had never been religious, never believed in a singular omnipotent force that controlled the actions of every being ever created. But, back then, he had prayed anyway. To the vortex, to the cosmos, to the universe. To anyone who would listen. And he had made promises that he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep were he in his right mind. He promised he would give up all of space and time. He promised he would give up his home. He promised he would give up everything that he was-

-if only they gave him his Rose Tyler back.

The Doctor’s still not religious. Still doesn’t believe in any sort of omnipotent force whatsoever. And yet here he is, stranded on one singular planet, his TARDIS gone and him missing a heart. And yet, there is Rose Tyler walking next to him. Her hand in his. Their fingers twined and grips tight. They’re taking a stroll through Bad Wolf Bay, huddling closer every time a strong gust of wind even threatens to pull them apart. Jackie’s somewhere on the other side of the beach, talking to Pete and making arrangements for their transport back to London, but all the Doctor can think about, his eyes trained on the golden head of hair that’s leaning on his shoulder, is that it was worth it.

Out of everything he’s ever asked for, he’s glad that it was those nonsensical half mad prayers begging for a reunion with his precious girl that got answered.

She shivers next to him, and without another thought, he pulls her closer, stuffing their interlocked hands in his trans dimensional pockets. The same trans dimensional pockets that also contain a tiny piece of his TARDIS. A tiny piece of _their_ home, and she presses her lips against his shoulder in a wordless thank you.

“You know,” She says conversationally, “I used to hate this place.” 

He looks, even knowing he doesn’t need to. He’s had nightmares about this place. He’s envied the world that got to keep her when the void snatched her from his arms. Bad Wolf Bay is a cold, barren beach place, with no sign of human population in sight. It’s just rocks and sand and sea as far as eyes can see. With it’s consistently overcast sky, and strong cold winds, it’s no place for a person as warm and magnificent as Rose Tyler. And yet, when he looks down at her and finds her grinning up at him, tongue touched and everything, he can’t help but admit that she makes it better.

Just like she does with everything she touches.

“You don’t anymore?” 

She shrugs, “It took you from me, but in a way it also gave you back.”

“And you’re okay with it?” He stops, can’t believe he’s gathered enough courage to actually ask her, “With me? This me?”

She stops just a step ahead of him, and then turns about till they’re face to face. Last time they were standing so, about twenty seven minutes and fifteen seconds ago, she had snogged him within an inch of his recently-human life. He’s hoping the similarities would lead to a repeat performance.

She takes a step forward, places her other hand on his chest, right over his singular beating heart.

He’s born from energy that was created with him dying in her arms. And he remembers laying eyes on her for the first time in this new body, holding hands with another him who had loved her just as much, and thinking- at the end of it all, if he can’t have her- he might as well just die again.

“You’re still you.” She mumbles.

He wonders what it was that convinced her this time. Last time it was dueling with a Sycorax. And then he thinks, he doesn’t really care.

“I’m still me.” He agrees, and she grins again as if he’s said exactly the right thing.

“Same man, same body.” He wiggles his eyebrows, but then stops to consider, “Well-l, a newer body. One heart. No weakness in the dorsal tubercle this time.” He adds, rotating his free hand absentmindedly, “Probably a few more things that are different, but for the most part…” He trails off, shrugging.

Her grin has turned a bit cheeky now, “New, new, new Doctor.”

“That’s right.” He nods, bounces on his heels a little, then settles again, smile dimming a bit, “Is that okay?”

Her own smile softens, and she shifts closer to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, “More than.”

He tilts his face a little to the left, just enough to line their mouths together. She breathes out, warm and soft and Rose, and he gives her bottom lip a hint of a lick before pressing their mouth together. She hums against him, pulling away the hand that’s intertwined with his to loop both arms around his shoulders. He sighs, relaxing, and wraps his own arms around her waist.

This right here, this Rose Tyler -with her lips on his and her chest pressed against his and her fingers clutching at his hair- this belongs to just him. He may have to share all his past adventures and memories and feelings with another man universes away, but this- this is his.

“Oi! You two!” They spring apart, turning simultaneously to see Jackie Tyler glaring at them, arms crossed and foot tapping on one of the flatter rocks in a decidedly impatient fashion, “Quit snogging for a second and get your asses over here, would you? Pete’s booked us a cab to the airport. It’ll be here any minute.”

“Come on.” Rose tells him, and begins walking away. The Doctor follows, grabbing her hand on the way and smiling like a loon when she gives it a squeeze. Jackie is still frowning at the two of them, more worried than angry, and the Doctor supposes he can understand why. This isn’t exactly what Rose had planned for. _He_ isn’t exactly what Rose had planned for. And maybe they’re both just too wrapped up in the knowledge that they’re together and are being naïve, but he’s in love. For the first time, really, truly, _openly_ , in love.

And the best thing about it all is that he’s allowed to be.

And so he’s going to love Rose. Now, ten years from now, twenty years from now, for however long he lives, more and more each second and minute and hour, and he’s going to surround her with all of it. They’ll find adventures even in a house covered with drapes and carpets, they’ll hold hands and run down the streets for no reason at all except that they can, and through all of it, he’s just going to love her.

Fearlessly.

⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒⭒

It’s not until they reach the airport that the Doctor realizes there is something different. He’s expecting to have to suffer through hours on a zeppelin before they reach London, but instead, the cab drops them off at a private airstrip, and right in front of him is a statjet. The fastest form of air travel that was invented by humans in the prime universe, only it took them at least until the late 24th century before they could actually commercialize its use.

He knows he’s gaping. He’s frozen on spot as soon as he got out of the car, and Rose has to squeeze a little between him and the car door to join him,

“Doctor? You okay?”

“This- this shouldn’t be here.” He whispers to her, properly horrified. When all she does is make a confused sound in the back of her throat, she whips around to face her, hands gripping her arms, “Rose, what happened to all the zeppelins?”

Her face clears, and she shrugs out of his grip to hold his hand and pull him towards the jet, “After everything with the cybermen was finally sorted out, the government banned zeppelins. Anything that could stay still in the air just gave people the creeps. They don't have drones in this universe. Neither do they have helicopters anymore.”

“But still, statjets are advanced technology.” He argues, but despite himself he’s relaxed because of her explanation. At least there is an explanation. “I mean, the engine they use- the thrust reversers. In the other universe, the humans got that technology from Failxoxs.”

Rose nodded, “Torchwood encountered a fleet of them a couple of years ago.” She says, and the Doctor’s eyes widen in surprise. He follows her in silently, and she waits until they’ve settled in their seats before continuing, “It was a few cargo ships that had gotten lost. Accidentally landed half a galaxy too far. We helped them get their navigation system back on track, and they helped us improve our air travel. Quid pro quo.”

“And they what- didn’t imprison them? Experiment? Torture?” The Doctor squeaked out the last word. He had encountered quite a few organizations like Torchwood in his time, and all of them had left a bad taste in his mouth. UNIT too had it’s faults, he knew, especially in its current leadership, so he was finding it a little hard to believe that this universe’s Torchwood was just… good. 

Rose looked at him, eyes soft as if he understood, but didn’t talk until they had taken off,

“This universe doesn’t seem to have a Shadow Proclamation of any sort.” She told him then, “So, technically, the Earth isn’t a level five planet under its protection.”

That- he’d never thought about that before.

“This earth has a lot more attempts at invasions than the one in the other universe. But, it has just as many encounters with aliens that are _good._ ” She continues, her thumb rubbing back and forth over the veins on the back of his hands in a gesture that is surprisingly comforting, “This Torchwood is a lot more- uh- communicative- with the extraterrestrials that the one we dealt with in the past. It’s gotten even smoother since we managed to cobble together a fairly accurate translation device a couple of months back. I mean, it’s no TARDIS but-”

She stops there, and it takes a moment for him to realize it’s because she accidentally brought up their ship. He gives her hand a squeeze, searches his pocket with the other hand before showing her the coral,

“I nicked this when no one was looking.” He whispers conspiratorially and watches her eyes widen,

“That’s-”

“A piece of the TARDIS coral, yes.” His brilliant Rose. He sits there, silently and watches her work it out.” 

She’s quiet for a moment, and then starts, hesitantly as if she doesn’t want to get either of their hopes up, “Can we- grow her.”

“Theoretically yes.” He nods, “See, I wouldn’t have known where to even start with it if I was a full time lord.” He confesses, “Normally, a TARDIS takes thousands of years to grow. But, I’ve got a bit of human in me. Specifically Donna. And Donna’s brilliant. If we shatterfry the plasmic shell and modify the dimensional stabilizer to a foldback harmonica 36.3, we accelerate the growth power by 59. We’ll have a fully functioning TARDIS ready for travel in a decade or so. Sooner if we can manage to find compatible nutrients or fertilizers in this universe.”

There is a spark in her eyes now, one that he knows is identical to his own. Rose Tyler doesn’t belong on a singular planet just as much as he doesn’t. And if he has something to say about it, he’s just going to whisk her away again. Show her all of time and space again.

No, discovers all of it again. With her by his side from the start this time.

Oh, this was going to be fantastic.


	2. Earth's Defender: Rose Tyler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can find me on:
> 
> twitter:[@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)
> 
> tumblr:[@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)
> 
> HAPPY READING!

It takes them a little over half an hour to reach London, and just like in Norway, they land on a private airstrip, a town car already waiting for them as they exit the statjet. The driver standing in front of the car straightens in attention, arms going up in a salute, and the Doctor’s already making a face, about to tell the man off for the unnecessary show of respect, when Rose does it before him,

“Don’t, Agent Baker.” Rose sighs, waving the man off and opening the car door herself before he tries to pull it open for her, “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve insisted there’s no need for saluting.”

“Of course, Commander Tyler.” Still, Rory Baker’s stance is rigid as he nods at Jackie and The Doctor before rounding around the car to get back behind the wheel. The Doctor waits till the car door had shut behind the agent, then leans closer to Rose till his lips are right against her ear,

“Commander Tyler?” He questions, and feels it more than sees when Rose’s lips stretch in a cheeky smile,

“Well, it’s like you said. Rose Tyler, defender of the earth.” She murmurs back,

The Doctor grins, the amount of pride flushing his chest in that moment so potent he’s half afraid it’s going to burst through the seams of his heart.

The ride over to Tyler Mansion is tense. It’s quiet enough in the car that the doctor can’t help but think back on the life that used to be his but wasn’t anymore. He might've been born less than a day ago but he’s also lived for hundreds of years. And for most of that life, his identity has been that of a time traveler. 

_The lonely God_ , Nurse Hame had called him. 

He's not a God anymore. And he sure as hell isn't lonely.

There’s a feeling of euphoria that is taking over him still, as he sits there in the backseat, hand in hand with the woman he loves, and but it is conflicted with trepidation. There was a time when a few decades here or there would've been a blink of an eye to him. Now, those are all he has.

He has no idea how to go about filling them.

Well, that’s not quite true. There’s Rose. Everything else about his entire existence might be in question, but Rose is his constant. She’d promised him forever long before he had been able to do the same. And now that she had agreed to spend the rest of his life with him, back on that beach, he knows that whatever he ends up doing for the rest of it, he’ll be spending it happily.

_Happiness_.

That has never been a priority before.

Wait-

Now that they’ve essentially promised each other to spend the rest of their lives together-

Are they _married?_

At the very least, engaged. They _must_ be.

“-ctor. Doctor?” He jerks out of his thoughts, turning to see Rose looking up at him with concerned eyes, “We’re here.” She says after finally getting his attention, “Are you alright?”

“Sorry. Yeah. I’m fine. Just- thinking.”

He knows she isn’t convinced, can tell by the way she’s chewing her bottom lip contemplatively as if debating if she should press the issue. But, they’re still in a car with a relative stranger, and even if they weren’t, he really doesn’t think she would want to hash out any of their still very present issues in front of her mother right now. Instead, they get out of the town car, and the Doctor is greeted by the sight of the sprawling grounds and the massive mansion that is the Tyler estate.

He remembers it clearly from his first visit to Pete’s world, remembers it crawling with cybermen, remembers the crippling fear of almost losing Rose to them right on those lawns. He shudders a little on reflex, but doesn't say anything as Jackie leads them both in, chattering non stop about all the work that has undoubtedly piled up in the time it took her to save the universe. 

They're greeted by a young child running into the entryway, all short, bare feet and sticky-uppy ginger hair, a bright red lollipop in between equally red lips, 

"Mummy!" The child squeaks around the candy, and then promptly jumps into his mother's arms, Jackie letting out an oomph even as she crouches down to pick him up before settling the boy on her hip, 

"There we are, Tony. Did you miss mummy?" Her voice is all sugary sweet and indulgent, the Doctor can't help but make a face at that tone. It's eerily similar to the kind she used on him every time he brought Rose for a visit moments before covering his face in kisses. 

Rose giggles next to him, as always reading him so well he might as feel be a picture book illustrated for a two year old and then takes him by the hand to introduce him to the newest Tyler, 

"Hey Tony, look who I brought home!" 

Tony looks up at the Doctor, his gaze all curiosity and childhood innocence. The Doctor grins a little, feeling a bit awkward even though he's usually marvelous with kids, and extends his hand,

"Nice to meet you, Tony Tyler. I'm the Doctor."

Tony's little jaw drops, the lollipop that had been precariously balancing between his lips clattering on to the floorboard as he stares up at the Doctor, awe quickly overtaking the curiosity as recognition hits, 

"Are you _really_?"

The Doctor blinks, from all the reactions he had imagined, that had not been one of them, "You've heard of me then?" 

Tony ignores him in favor of another question, "Is it true that you once took Rosie to a world made of only cotton candy? Mummy says she is fibbing, but Rosie said it was true."

The Doctor turns to Rose, a singular brow raising high in question in a way he knows for a fact she finds attractive. She bits her lip to muffle her laughter, but nods, whispering a, "On Molvorix." as if that would clear everything up. 

And it does. The Doctor remembers Molvorix. It was, contradictory to what Rose has told her brother, not a planet made of cotton candy, but gas clouds instead. Huge, soft pink and lavender globes of gas that look almost delectable. It's not habitable, of course. Can't even step on it. But, the Doctor had managed to extend the TARDIS's atmospheric barrier and hover it just over the planet, and he and Rose had spent hours sitting right on the doorway, legs dangling out and kicking up the gases as if soaking their feet in a lake while sitting on a pier. The Doctor rambling on about the planet's origin history and Rose sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder, telling him about how she kind of just wanted to taste it. 

The Doctor turns back to Tony, a manic grin replacing the slightly nervous one, "Oh yes, I did. Thought your sister might never want to leave."

Tony's eyes might as well be stars, they're shining so bright, 

"Can you take me too? I promise I won't eat all of it."

The Doctor thinks of the TARDIS, of how she's a gazillion miles and a universe away, and the pain in his heart throbs at the thought of never hearing her song again.

He thinks of the tiny piece of coral sitting inside his pocket, his and Rose's to love and grow and bond with, and the pain of separation dulls slightly, 

"Maybe when you're a little older, Tony Tyler." The Doctor replies, and ruffles his lush head of ginger hair. If the tiny tot hadn't been so adorable, the doctor might've been jealous. 

Jackie's lip twitch in an aborted effort to hold in a smile at the sight. As much as the Doctor had annoyed her, she had to admit that she had missed him. Not as much as Rose of course, her daughter had been inconsolable, but she couldn't deny that the Doctor had become family. 

Everybody’s attention is diverted again when they hear footsteps run down the grand staircase built at the center of the foyer. They look up to see Pete Tyler rushing down, his face marring between concern and relief as he gathers Jackie in his arms as soon as he is near enough,

“Oh, thank god you’re okay.” He breathes against her hair, pulling away to cup her cheeks tenderly, “Malcolm told me how you just grabbed a blaster and a hopper, no clearance or procedures followed. I was going out of my mind, Jackie.”

Jackie rolls her eyes in response, but let’s her husband hug her again, “Well, I was hardly going to let my daughter go off alone, now was I? And besides, everything turned out fine.”

Pete sighs, it’s an old argument at this point. Jackie’s insistence at treating Rose like she’s made of delicate china versus Pete believing that she is strong enough to keep herself safe. “Jackie, your daughter has one of the highest posts a torchwood agent can have. Years of training and education. She can handle herself.”

Jackie pulls away at that, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her husband her best glare, “Are you trying to say I can’t?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it, knowing neither of those answers will suffice. Luckily, before the argument can escalate further, Rose interrupts, clearing her throat. Pete looks over, for the first time realizing there are other people in the room that aren’t Jackie, and he frowns,

“Rose.” He looks at the man standing next to her, “And the Doctor. What are you two doing here? Is your ship outside?”

Rose gives him a soft, slightly awkward smile. She had made a pretty big deal of saying goodbye to her family when she had started dimension hopping. And now as it turns out, she really won’t be going anywhere, “That’s a bit of a long story. Suppose we could have a cuppa while I explain?”

They make their way to the kitchens, taking a seat on the counter while Jackie puts on a kettle and Pete pours out Tony a glass of freshly pressed orange juice,

“Will you be staying the night, Rose?” Her mother asks her over her shoulder and next to her, the Doctor makes a little sound of surprise,

“No, I think we’ll head on over to my place.” Rose answers her mother just as the Doctor leans closer to her, 

“You don’t live here?” He asks, and can’t help but feel a little relieved. He’s sure he could be living in the seventh circles of hell, but as long as he was living with Rose, he’d be happy. But, at the same time, he has memories associated with this place. Memories that aren’t really necessarily all that nice.

Rose seems to be of the same mind. She shakes her head, “I couldn’t.” She tells him softly, “Not after the last time we were here. Mum doesn’t care, and Pete seems happy that he has his wife back in their home, but it was all a bit too much for me.”

“Hmm.” It still manages to surprise him sometimes, how alike they are, Rose and him. They are attuned to each other on a level that goes much deeper than just regeneration quirks. She feels like she’s a part of him, has felt like it from the moment he took her hand and asked her to run away with him. In a completely unfamiliar parallel world, that effortless understanding is more than a little comforting. “So, where do you live?”

She looks up at him, her gaze knowing, “I think you’ll like it. My place.”

Her tone’s suggestive in a way it hasn’t been since the early weeks of his regeneration. Before Sarah Jane and _‘wither and die’_ , before France and _‘always wait five and a half hours’_. It makes him giddy in the best way possible, butterflies so wild in his stomach, he’s half afraid they’re going to come flying out if he opens his mouth,

“I’m sure I will.” He murmurs his reply back, deliberately keeps his own tone low and warm, putting on a rakish grin he hasn’t directed at her since that adventure with the werewolf.

Her own smile widens, her eyes bright but dazed, and suddenly it’s as if there is nobody else in the room but her. Slowly, he brings up a hand, tucks a flyaway lock of her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers trail down the apple of her cheeks. They warm under his touch, turning her skin a lovely blush pink, and it’s torturous, how badly he wants to kiss her in that moment but can’t.

It's okay though. Because now, finally, they have time for it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked this chapter. As always, kudos and comments are much appreciated!
> 
> you can find me on:
> 
> twitter:[@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)
> 
> tumblr:[@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> sooo... thoughts?
> 
> this really is going to be as far from canon as i can possibly get it. i hope you don't mind. 
> 
> kudos and comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> if you want to talk to me or read some of my other works, you can always follow me on:
> 
> tumblr: [@ymnfilter](https://ymnfilter.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [@ymnfilter](https://twitter.com/ymnfilter)


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